First home buyer schemes & stamp duty in 2026
Buying your first home in Australia comes with a stack of concessions and schemes — but they're run by different levels of government, change often, and each has its own price caps and fine print. Here's the lay of the land.
1. Stamp duty concessions
Stamp (transfer) duty is usually the biggest upfront cost after the deposit — tens of thousands on an average home. Every state and territory offers first-home-buyer concessions that reduce or waive it below a price threshold, then phase out above it. Because it's state-based, the saving on the same-priced home differs a lot depending on where you buy.
2. The First Home Owner Grant (FHOG)
A one-off state or territory payment to help buy or build, generally limited to new homes (newly built or off-the-plan), with a price cap. The amount and rules are set by your state revenue office and change periodically.
3. The First Home Guarantee (5% deposit)
Under the federal guarantee scheme, an eligible first-home buyer can purchase with as little as a 5% deposit while the government guarantees part of the loan — so you avoid Lenders Mortgage Insurance, which can otherwise cost thousands. Places are limited each year and income and property-price caps apply.
4. The First Home Super Saver (FHSS) scheme
You can make voluntary contributions into super and later withdraw them (plus deemed earnings) toward a deposit. Because super contributions are taxed lightly, it can be a tax-effective way to save — within annual and total limits set by the ATO.
How they fit together
These aren't either/or — many buyers combine a stamp-duty concession with the 5% deposit guarantee, and save the deposit itself through FHSS. The catch is the eligibility maze: first-home status, price caps, residency and (for the grant) buying new. Confirm the current figures with your state revenue office and the official scheme pages before you count on any of them.
Estimate the duty in your state, with the first-home concession and grant applied.
Stamp duty calculator →Related: rent vs buy — how to decide · offset vs redraw. General information only, not financial advice.